Have you ever dreamed of finding a rare treasure hidden in your attic or some first edition print of a book hidden on your bookshelf? For one family in the United Kingdom that treasure turns out to be a rare first edition hardcover copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. “According to Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers (via CTV News) the book is one of just 500 from the very first run published in 1997 by Bloomsbury and it recently sold for around $84,500 at auction.”
Charlotte Rumsey discovered the rare edition after helping her mother declutter and downsize during lockdown. The book had been intended to be sold at a swap meet until she saw another rare Harry Potter book on an episode of Antiques Roadshow. She then called her mother and checked the details of the copy she had. “She took it out of the box and I began reading out the issue points that identify it as first edition,” Rumsey explained. “As she turned the pages to check each one, everything seemed to be exactly the same.”
The first edition was confirmed by Hansons Auctioneers book expert Jim Spencer. He said that he was happy for the family. “Of the 500 copies printed, 300 went to schools and libraries — so this is a good example of one of the scarcer 200 that went to shops,” Spencer said. This was the fifth hardback edition of the “Philosopher’s Stone” he’d uncovered in 18 months.
I couldn’t imagine finding such a rare treasure sitting with the rest of my books! If you need me I’ll be on the internet researching what identifies the books as first edition and visiting my local bookstores. All joking aside this was such an incredible find and the Rumsey family definitely caught the Golden Snitch.
All information is from CTVNews.CA
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